United Nations Development Programme

In December 2010, UNDP and UN Women organized a workshop in Kampala, attended by several experts on transitional justice issues and reparation, focusing also on gender, with the objective to initiate a more integrated UN approach to reparations. Hide

In Asia-Pacific, the work of the inter-agency initiative “Partners for Prevention” (P4P) was ongoing. Engagingmen.net (www.engagingmen.net) is a website where practitioners can share resources and learn about training opportunities. “Partners for Prevention” (P4P) organized several training sessions to support national social media campaigns in China, India, and Indonesia. Demand Media, a leading online media company and expert in developing social media platforms, provides pro bono support for the national campaigns. In December 2010, P4P organized a meeting with various stakeholders from Cambodia, Indonesia, Mongolia, Fiji, the Philippines and Vietnam, who work to engage boys and men for ending violence against women. The participants agreed to work together to develop regional curricula and a collective approach for knowledge creation and sharing across the region.In December 2010, the Asian Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development (AFPPD) “Standing Committee of Male Parliamentarians for the Elimination of Violence against Women and Children” met in Port Macquarie, Australia, where male parliamentarians from 13 countries signed a pledge to take action in their own countries and to stand together as a collective group to advocate for more actions for violence prevention among their peers. “Partners for Prevention” is supporting the Standing Committee of Male Parliamentarians as a collaborative partner with AFPPD and UNFPA. “Partners for Prevention” and AFPPD are conducting research on the challenges that parliamentarians face in moving prevention policy forward, and on ways to support them in their role in preventing violence. Hide

UNDP and UNESCO supported the Gender Studies Institute (GSI) based at the Kabul University in Afghanistan to conduct a multi-province research on the nature and forms of gender-based violence within educational institutions in Afghanistan. The research was conducted in 2009 in three Afghan Universities (Kabul, Mazar, and Herat): (http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0018/001899/189969e.pdf).The findings and recommendations of the research were presented in October 2010 during an advocacy workshop with the Gender Studies Institute, the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health. The objective of the workshop was to raise awareness on gender-based violence among stakeholders and to adopt a Declaration with concrete recommendations to address gender-based violence. Hide

In Papua New Guinea, UNDP conducted numerous training sessions on awareness-raising and advocacy on violence against women; a Training of Trainers for staff of the Office for the Development of Women (ODW), National Council of Women (NCW), and the Gender and Development Branch of the Department of Community Development, to support strengthening coordination and communication between the three organizations to address and effectively respond to violence against women at the provincial and local levels. Hide

In Argentina, UNDP collaborates with national women’s organizations to help the effective implementation of the new law on the prevention and elimination of violence against women, the launching of a VAW Observatory, the development of local centres, and the training of local women on issues related to violence against women.In Papua New Guinea, UNDP was engaged with three national women’s organizations to conduct capacity assessments of the organizations themselves, using the Capacity Assessment Framework for Gender Mainstreaming. For the “Office for the Development of Women”, the engagement looked at its capacity in developing and monitoring the implementation of national policies to protect women from domestic violence. The engagement also included capacity development to support the development and implementation of strategies and action plans on violence against women of the three women’s organizations.Via the UN Gender Theme Group, UNDP Myanmar provided inputs into the National Action Plan on the Advancement of Women being prepared by the Ministry of Social Welfare, which may be submitted for cabinet approval in the beginning of 2011. Hide

Several initiatives in countries in the ECIS region were supported by UNDP to raise awareness and support advocacy work related to sexual gender-based violence. In Kosovo, documentaries were produced and a series of debates were held, including one on the possession of firearms and its potential impact on households and communities in Kosovo. In Kyrgyzstan, multi-stakeholder fora were organized. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, civil society organisations were supported to implement advocacy and awareness-raising campaigns. Several countries organized events and activities around the “16 days of activism” campaign to end violence against women. Kosovo held an SMS campaign and debates with students, Kyrgyzstan hosted a forum promoting the role of women in peace-building, and Croatia organised, in partnership with the Ministry of Interior and Croatian police, a nationwide awareness-raising campaign, where influential Croatian men participated, including the president. Hide

A joint mission by UNDP Asia-Pacific Regional Centre/Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery made recommendations to the Justice and Human Rights project in Afghanistan to enhance the involvement of women in shuras/jirgas, to raise awareness on rights and entitlements under the law, and to continue engagement with religious leaders on issues related to women in Islam. Hide

In Nepal, informal legal aid desks, operating in police stations, were supported by UNDP. Mobile legal aid clinics in three districts provided free legal services and information to 1524 people (80% were women). The paralegal programme, at the community level, was expanded in 2010 and the paralegal committees received training on gender-based vioelnce and justice, helping to mainstream a national awareness initiative on sexual gender-absed violence. Hide

UNDP, through Capacity Assessement Framework for Gender Mainstreaming, has engaged gender focal points in Indonesia to strengthen their knowledge and skills to raise awareness on violence against women. In Papua New Guinea, UNDP has worked with the National Council of Women, an umbrella non-governmental organisation, to strengthen their awareness-raising and advocacy capacities on violence against women at the provincial and local levels. Hide

In the ECIS region, legislative development support was provided by UNDP in Kosovo, where the Law on Domestic Violence was adopted. In Serbia, UNDP assisted with drafting recommendations for legislative changes related to sexual gender-based violence. In Nepal, UNDP, in cooperation with UN Women, facilitated the establishment of a witness protection task force which will work on the elaboration of witness protection legislation.In Argentina, UNDP worked with national women´s organizations to plan workshops and create a toolkit to guide stakeholders,on the adoption of laws that ensure a woman’s right to a life free of violence. In El Salvador, UNDP, UNIFEM, and the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation for Development (AECID) supported the Women’s Parliamentary Group (GPM), consisted of parliamentarians from all political parties, to incorporate a gender perspective in the parliamentary agenda. UNDP, UNIFEM, AECID, and the Salvadoran Institute for the Development of Women (ISDEMU) provided technical assistance to the Family, Women, and Childhood Committee of the Legislative Assembly in relation to a law entitled “Special and Integrated Law for a Life for Women Free of Violence”, which was approved in November 2010.In the Pacific, UNDP continued its support to the Government of the Cook Islands to draft its first comprehensive civil family law, also with provisions on domestic violence, including consultations with national stakeholders. Hide